


What Lies Beneath

by Shamaru



Category: South Park
Genre: And the only K2 that's really in here is a smooch, Full details in the notes, M/M, Muse ran wild while I was writing, Sorry if that tag's a tease, The character death is only really implied, This really only makes sense in a loose way
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 09:52:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14133609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shamaru/pseuds/Shamaru
Summary: Beneath his hood where no one could see, Kenny had grinned.Beneath his hood where no one could see, Kenny’s lips were blood stained.Beneath his hood where no one could see, Kenny bared his teeth in anger.





	What Lies Beneath

**Author's Note:**

> This isn't the first South Park story I've written, but it will be the first I upload.
> 
> I began writing this as an experiment. Another South Park story I'm working on has me stuck and I thought if I wrote something else and just kept writing that I'd get ideas. Well, I pushed this story out in a few hours and I decided that, hey, why don't I post my mad ramblings for others to read? It's odd and it makes sense only in a loose way, but maybe someone else will enjoy reading it and possibly be inspired to write something of their own.
> 
> I will warn you all right now that I did not allow myself to read over this while I was writing it. Every single time I go back to read anything I've written I end up deleting all of it because I suddenly don't like how it turned out. I allowed my writing muse to take me wherever it decided to go with this story and because of that decision it more than likely will be a wild and possibly regrettable ride.

Kenny had worn the exact same too big parka, baggy pants, and worn out gloves and boots for as long as anyone had known him. No one could remember seeing any part of him that wasn’t his bright blue eyes, dirty patches of pale skin, or the slight peek of blond hair tangled with the brown fur of his parka hood. And throughout the years, no one questioned it. There were always excuses floating in minds and spilled words.

“Kenny’s too poor to afford anything else.”

“It’s cold. He’s dressed smarter than some of us.”

“He’s hiding the fact that he’s starving. Everyone knows he gives most of his food to his sister.”

When he heard these excuses, he neither confirmed nor denied them which made the rumors spread as the years passed by. As the poor starving child, he was pitied. As the smartly clothed boy, he heard parents asking their children why they couldn’t dress warmly like he did. 

Growing into his teen years brought fear and hatred into the mix of rumors.

As the children of South Park grew, it was almost guaranteed that Craig would end up the tallest of the bunch. Kenny had barely grown by the time he turned seventeen and was mocked for staying so small. He took the teasing and bullying without much backlash, but he grew distanced because of it. Then one day, completely overnight, he’d hit a growth spurt.

Craig had to look up to see his face.

That was when fear began to seep into some of the teens’ faces.

Kenny hadn’t only grown in height. His limbs had grown to strange proportions- his arms seemingly much too long for his newly stretched torso. And maybe it was their minds playing tricks on them, but when someone nervously joked about the blond’s overly long arms they’d seemed to have shrank to more correct proportions by the next morning. Kenny blamed the long look on his coat sleeves being too long and they looked fine then because he’d had his mother fix them.

No one dared bring up the fact that it was the same old parka Kenny had had for years and if the sleeves hadn’t been too long a few days ago then they wouldn’t suddenly be too long just a day ago.

They began avoiding the strange teen slowly after that.

Eventually only his oldest three friends and a few of the others would even talk to him. Everywhere that Kenny went, he was given a wide berth. His friends would scoff and assure him that everything was fine and that the others were all just being stupid about his sudden growth spurt. 

“Should I not be this tall?” Kenny had asked suddenly at lunch one day. It had made the others pause and several pairs of eyes turned to stare at the seven foot tall hooded blond.

“Dude. If you show up tomorrow and you’re any shorter, I’ll kick your ass.” Kyle had joked. 

Kenny had gone quiet, tilted his head, and nodded slowly. No one at their table was quite sure what to think of it.

The rumors began to spread again soon after. This time around, they were designed to build up fear.

“He’s dangerous now, don’t you know?”

“Everyone knows people across the tracks are all deranged lunatics.”

The few friends he had began to dwindle further. After the last batch of rumors spread, Kenny was left with only a handful of people he could turn to. Kyle, Stan, Craig, Butters, Tweek, and a hesitant Cartman. He noticed the last teen had begun to join the crowds abandoning him and it made Kenny furious. 

They’d known each other since they were children. 

Cartman was supposed to be one of his closest friends.

It wasn’t long before he completely vanished from Kenny’s tiny circle of friends.

Days later, Cartman vanished without a trace.

Kenny wasn’t seen for a week after the disappearance and people began to suspect that the two had killed each other until the blond was found at home. He’d been deathly ill and his mother had forbade his leave from their house. When Kyle broke the news of Cartman’s disappearance to him he’d taken it as a joke. When the rest of his remaining friends backed up the story he’d surprised them all by crying. They’d decided then that Kenny couldn’t have had anything to do with Cartman’s disappearance. No one would mourn the way he did if they’d done something.

Beneath his hood where no one could see, Kenny had grinned.

Once Kenny was able to leave his house, his sickness cured, he became clingy with his remaining friend group. He’d always been a bit of a physical person, but now he was much more active in seeking out his friends’ touches.

When they sat at lunch, he liked to lean against Stan’s side. The raven haired boy would roll his eyes and shove him in a friendly manner, but ultimately let Kenny curl back up against him. He didn’t mind the touch and, if asked why, he’d joke that Sparky curled up against him exactly the same way.

While walking anywhere together, he always tried to link arms with Craig and Tweek. He never tried to get between the couple, which was what saved him on most days, but he was always at one of their sides with an arm linked with theirs. Tweek hadn’t liked it at first, but he grew used to the touch and decided that he was fine. It became familiar and comfortable. Craig never minded from the beginning and would brighten Kenny’s day by offering his arm first on a few occasions.

Whenever the group got together to hang out, he absolutely loved to hang off of Butters. An arm wrapped around the shorter blond’s waist, slung around his shoulders, having their arms linked or holding hands- Butters ate up his attention and treasured every touch. Kenny knew about Butters’ home life and knew the poor boy was attention starved and it made things that much easier for him to shower the other in wanted affection.

When Kenny began showing up at Kyle’s door early in the mornings and walking with him to school, Kyle began to allow him to hold his hand more often. It cheered the blond up for the day and Kyle seemed to enjoy the touch sometimes. It was during a rainy morning when Kyle’s grip suddenly tightened around the other’s hand and he stopped in his tracks that brought Kenny a huge shock. He’d paused mid step, their hands connecting them and Kyle’s sudden tug on his arm had been surprisingly strong.

Kyle had dragged him down and kissed him with a crushing desperation. He hadn’t even stopped to move Kenny’s parka properly and dirty fur joined in the kiss. A moment passed and Kyle jerked back as suddenly as he’d joined them, his free hand rising to his lips and wiping away a thin line of blood.

“...somehow, I always knew.” he whispered.

“Oh, Kyle...”

Neither of them were seen for a week after that morning. Kenny returned alone and in a state of depression now that one of his friends had disappeared. His eyes were red from crying and he clung to the remaining four boys with all he had.

Beneath his hood where no one could see, Kenny’s lips were blood stained.

Craig had invited him over after school a month after Kyle’s disappearance. He’d gladly joined his friend and had welcomed Tweek’s presence as well. Those days it was impossible to get one alone without the other. They had truly become South Park’s number one power couple and Kenny loved being near them that way. 

The three spent long hours chatting over coffee, watching movies, and playing games together. It was late when Kenny decided he should leave. Craig offered the couch, his parents gone for the weekend and his sister gone with them. The hooded blond had happily accepted and had made himself comfortable.

It was in the dead of night that he woke to see a familiar form huddled in a corner of the living room. Even in the dark Kenny could see him staring with wide fearful eyes, for once his body stone still in his terror. The boy took a moment to compose himself, slowly rose off the couch, and moved toward Tweek with a soft sigh. When his fingers curled gently against the shorter blond’s shoulder, a tiny squeak escaped him.

“You shouldn’t be up so late, Tweek.”

“Y-You-”

“Shh... We don’t want to wake Craig now, do we?”

Craig woke to an empty bed and grumbled about losing Tweek’s warmth. When he’d finally ventured downstairs he’d found the two blonds curled tightly together on the couch and the sight had made him smile. It strangely warmed his heart instead of sending him into a jealous rage. Kenny had wormed his way into their lives so neatly that it was like he just belonged. 

Tweek seemed more nervous and jumpier than usual for days after the sleepover with Kenny. The looks he shot toward the other blond held a sort of deep seated fear that raised questions, but he would only chalk up his looks to reoccurring nightmares. Craig suggested a vacation once spring break hit and his boyfriend jumped at the idea.

Beneath his hood where no one could see, Kenny bared his teeth in anger.

When the couple returned from their vacation, they found that Stan had been the next to disappear. He’d gotten drunk one night and people had reported him screaming at the house across the railroad tracks. After that, he’d vanished without a trace.

With Stan’s disappearance, someone else returned.

It was almost a year since he’d vanished, but Kyle was suddenly seen again. Deathly pale, weak, and unable to focus, but alive. Excited friends had swarmed him and he’d collapsed against them, fuzzy vision focused on Kenny. Something swam behind his eyes, but Kyle hadn’t had the strength to do anything more than croak weakly and shed a few tears in front of his concerned friends.

His parents were found brutally murdered in their home when they tried to bring Kyle back.

Ike had been hiding under his blankets, silently crying, and had screamed as soon as his safe place was uncovered. When he caught sight of his older brother he launched himself at the teen and had clung so tightly he’d left bruises on Kyle’s sides. The brother’s had wept over their parents and their friends had taken care of reporting everything to the police. Within hours they’d all gathered at Craig’s house, his family still on their own vacation, and decided that the brothers needed to stay there for a while.

Kyle’s eyes rarely strayed from Kenny’s face. Tweek’s eyes flicked back and forth slowly from Kenny to Kyle through the evening. Kenny was at Kyle’s beck and call all evening and the pained redhead had plenty of orders for him, yet nothing kept him away for long. Eventually he curled up beside Kyle, Ike held against his brother’s chest tightly, and put the redhead to sleep with gentle fingers carding through his hair.

Tweek watched them through the night, flinching each time his eyes met with the other blond’s. After the night he’d really seen Kenny, the other terrified him. Those watchful blue eyes and a finger pressed to the hood of his parka where his lips would be kept Tweek from making a sound. Kenny was going to drive him insane and he could only wait until he broke down and disappeared like Cartman and Kyle and Stan. The question behind that thought was would he be lucky enough to make a return like Kyle? Or would he never be found again? His thoughts raced over the outcomes and he only realized that he’d been pulling at his hair when pain erupted from behind one ear and his hand came away with a fistful of blond strands.

Kenny motioned for him to come closer and he found himself curling up beside the boy who haunted his waking thoughts.

One year later his question was answered when he came stumbling back from his disappearance.

Craig wouldn’t let him leave his sight after he returned and his friends were always close by. He grew closer to Kyle, the redhead knowing what he’d been through. Kenny was no longer someone to fear. 

When Craig was the next to vanish, though, Tweek became sick with worry. Kenny told him everything would be fine and he believed the boy. He had to. Getting through that year was the hardest thing he felt he’d ever done, but once Craig returned he felt so much lighter. 

They began to hang out across the railroad tracks once their gang was back together. 

Butters had become the odd one out in their group, but he didn’t mind too much. He was used to things being that way. He was still a part of the group and he was still shown affection, but something just felt off about himself being there. When he finally worked up the courage to express his concerns, he was greeted with sympathetic looks from all but Kenny. The tallest of their group had simply gone quiet, tilted his head, and stared at him. It had confused him at the time.

When long limbs had crept through his window, he’d been terrified. Rightfully so as the bars over the glass shouldn’t have warped the way they did and Kenny’s eyes shouldn’t have looked like they had. Then again, his eyes had flickered when the alarm had gone off and Butters’ father had stormed into the room yelling at the top of his lungs.

Butters had never realized just how fragile a person’s throat was. 

He’d stared at his father, on the floor in a pool of quickly cooling blood, and had almost been horrified. Yet when his head turned and he faced the suddenly looming figure of his friend, he could only smile. Kenny was terrifying and wonderful and Butters couldn’t stop the tears that fell when strong arms wrapped tightly around his neck. The bed was covered in blood and the two cared not a bit as they fell against it. They only woke once when Butters’ mother’s scream rang out. They’d both stepped over her in the morning on their way out the door.

Butters had been the last to disappear. 

The smallest of the three blonds smiled at each of his friends as they made their way through the beaten path in the woods. Each one of them had taken this path at some point in the past few years and each step came easily. Somewhere along the way there was a change in the air and Butters shivered as he watched the ripples of magic that danced across the faces of his friends. Frightened as he was, he reminded himself that they were still his friends. His grip on Kenny’s hand tightened, not minding the sharp cold that greeted his skin.

The trees parted soon and the group stepped into a small clearing. Butters swallowed thickly, his fear rising, as his eyes flitted over the four mounds of dirt piled up. He almost couldn’t make himself look at the freshly dug hole at the end of the row. 

Lost in thought as he was, he didn’t notice Kenny’s hand leaving his. Distantly he recognized footsteps, voices he couldn’t quite hear, and a soft sound he almost swore he knew. When a hand touched his shoulder he jumped and let out a shout of surprise. It had only been Kenny and the smaller blond felt his cheeks heat up when the older boy laughed.

“I asked if you were ready.” he said. 

Butters chewed on his bottom lip and glanced down at his friend’s hands. “I... I think so.” he managed to whisper.

Kenny nodded and took Butters’ hand with his free one. The two walked toward the hole in the ground and Butters trembled as they knelt at the edge. It looked deeper than he’d expected.

“Don’t worry, dude.” Kyle had said from behind him. “It’s not that bad.”

“Hot, but not super hot.” Tweek chimed in. “You’ll be fine.”

“Hey, give Stan this from me when you see him.” Craig said. When Butters glanced his way he held up both hands and flipped the bird with each. It made him laugh.

After a moment he turned to face Kenny again and smiled. “Okay,” he took a deep breath and peered back into the hole in the ground, “I’m ready.”

Kenny took a moment to reach up and tug off his hood, smiling fondly when Butters stared at him in awe. The markings on his skin swirled slowly and he hummed in content when the smaller blond stroked one of them with a gentleness that rivaled the way Kyle’s touch had been so long ago. He allowed the other a few moments to explore his shifting birthmarks before taking Butters’ hand and gently pushing it away.

“C’mon, Butters. Lean forward over your grave.” he gently commanded. When the other did as he was told, Kenny shifted closer and reached out to wrap an arm around the boy’s neck from behind. His hand rested just below Butters’ jaw and slowly he coaxed the younger teen to tilt his head further back.

Butters allowed his eyes to close when the cool blade touched his throat.

“See you in a year, Butters.”


End file.
